Hydra Dominatus

March 28, 2013

Fidelis placed a new round of ammunition into his bolter as he glanced at his, tentatively named, 'comrades'. 'Associates' was a better fitting word, as he observed Hakar lock horns with Ediato, a World Eater and Emperor's Child respectively. Needless to say, they were discussing their gods. "And how many whelps have you slain? Hundreds have fallen before my axe! Their skulls adorn the throne of Khorne, and your skull will soon join them, cur!" Hakar spat. Ediato merely replied in an annoying sing-song voice, an attempt to emulate his Primarch's goal of perfection. "No doubt more than you, mindless as you are in your bloodlust. Slaanesh teaches us to convey pain, and convey it we do. Something your god fails to understand, for all your actions do is give your victims mercy. Bring them to the altar of the Prince of Pleasure, and I assure you, they will beg for death. No, you and all of your kind, lack the stomach to do what is necessary." Hakar snarled, and brought forth his axe, most likely intending to bury it in Ediato's skull, but before he was able to do so, a Crozius was swiftly thrust between the two. "Enough!" The wielder, Adalis of the Word Bearers, exclaimed. "Our service is to Chaos Undivided, and as such, you will honor the gods. All of them." He stated with a sharp glare in the direction of the two. "Perhaps if you enlightened me with a reason as to why I must deal with the buffoon a second longer, perhaps I will keep my tongue in check," Ediato swiftly responded. "Our mutual benefactor decided it best we know as little as possible. Including his identity, it would seem," Adalis explained. "All I am aware of, is we assault a station for a specific item he is looking for, and bring it to him. He stated we would know what to find when we saw it." "So long as blood is spilled, Khorne is appeased," rumbled Hakar, content for now. "As we seem to be aboard the station now, perhaps we can actually complete this... assignment," Ediato said, having grasped for a word. Fidelis, previously making no attempt to join the conversation, gave a brief nod, before slamming his fist onto a keypad, the door beginning to creak open. It wasn't the most intelligent design plan to have soundproofed doors, nor was it wise to have such lax security. Fidelis considered that was part of the reason why their employer had sent them here. The group of four made their way throughout the largely abandoned corridors, until they rounded a corner, finding a few crew members. Hearing the sound of power-armoured footfalls, one of them turned about, stating "My lords-" before swiftly having his skull cleaved in half by Hakar's axe. The other crew members shouted in alarm, as they unslung their lasrifles. None received a chance to fire or exclaim any warning, as they were swiftly dealt with by the Astartes.

Hydra Dominatus

March 28, 2013

"Pitiful security," Hakar snarled, not bothering to clean the blood off of his axe, preferring to let it drip onto the floor. "The entire chapter of Ultramarines could parade in here, an entire cacophony of sound, and none would even notice it." Fidelis grimaced behind his helmet at the mention of Gulliman's Legion, or rather Chapter as the Imperium's Codex Astartes seemed to call it. "We press onwards." Three simple words, enough to convey the order. Fidelis was never much of a man for words.

Several corridors of monotony, occasionally spiced up with the brief spilling of blood, they entered the central command center, and Fidelis was unsurprised to find it deserted. Four doorways were at each cardinal direction of the room, and the only defining feature of it was a table in the center. Lying on top of it, however, was an object of greater interest. "A cube?" Ediato questioned as he clanked towards it, picking it up in his massive hands. "Small wonder why this station had little guard. It hardly looks like anything worth guarding." "It holds more power than you know," Adalis snarled as he snatched it away. "This is but a stepping stone to a ritual of power. It would elevate one to Daemon Princehood." At the mention of that, Hakar and Ediato both glanced at it with renewed interest. "... I always fancied myself as a Daemon Prince. So much more opportunity for perfection," Ediato mused, as he made a grab for the artifact, Adalis holding it away from him. "You? No, you would use that power for base desires. Expend it on Daemonettes. That power belongs to Lord Khorne. With it, I would be Warmaster! Not Abaddon! An empire carved from blood and death!" Hakar too lunged for it, though Adalis proved to be quick, once again moving the artifact out of reach. Fidelis smiled to himself. Yes, all of the factors were present, as his benefactor mentioned. A sudden lust for power, an improvement in ambition... Hakar gripped his bloody axe. "Enough with this folly! That relic will be mine!" "Your's? I think not! The Prince of Pain and Pleasure will benefit far more from its usage," Ediato responded, his Power Sword activating with a spark of electricity. Fidelis casually removed his bolt pistol and began to take aim... Adalis glanced at him, his features turning into a scowl. "And you, Fidelis? Do you want it as well? None of you are worthy of this prize. The power would corrupt you into making selfish choices. After I dispose of you, I will take it back to the Eye of Terror, where I will ascend, upon finding the remaining artifacts. Then, I will better the existence of all the Gods' favour." You're right. Power does corrupt. Precisely why we cannot allow this to continue. Fidelis thought to himself. "So, who will be the first to wrest it away by force? Try me, if you dare! I am fully confident in my martial prow-." Adalis never got to finish his sentence, as his neck had suddenly exploded in a torrent of blood, courtesy of Fidelis' bolt pistol. Ediato and Hakar both stood stunned for a moment at the change of fortune. Before his body even hit the ground, they scrambled over the artifact. They received a moment's opportunity, at best, for Fidelis turned his pistol on the both of them, rounds piercing their ceramite Power Armour. As they bled to death, Fidelis slowly clanked over to the cube that had caused this grief, picking it up and turning it over in his hand. The Vox receiver in his helmet pinged at him, and he swiftly answered. "Lord Cypher." "Ah, Fidelis. Perhaps you can appraise me about your... progress." Fidelis replied crisply. "Station personnel slaughtered. Comrades terminated, as requested, Lord Cypher." "And the artifact?" A hint of amusement brimmed in the Fallen's voice. Fidelis could tell he was testing him. His greed, his ambition. Fidelis casually clenched his fist and squeezed. After mere moments, the artifact shattered into pieces. "Destroyed." "Excellent. You have exceeded my expectations, Captain. You do realize the profound effects that will result from this endeavor?"

Hydra Dominatus

March 28, 2013

Fidelis nodded, though Cypher couldn't see it. "Potentially dangerous artifact neutralized. That will result in one less Daemon Prince to plague the Imperium. The removal of several corrupt Astartes, the blood of thousands on each of their hands. The incursion into a system this close to Terra will teach the Imperium to not be as lax in their defenses..." It was the most he had said in a long while. "You learn well, and quickly, Captain. Perhaps your Primarch is to thank for that. Your Legion always were the most methodically brilliant, though it seems only Horus saw that. See to it your streak of excellence continues." Cypher paused for a moment before uttering their agreed-upon farewell. "For the Emperor." "For the Emperor," Fidelis responded, before glancing at the corpses of his associates. A pity it had to come to a head like this, he would have been able to dupe them for far longer. The artifact changed all of that, however. After all, the Alpha Legion were never known for forgetting loose ends.